Catalonia election still means political crisis

Borja Sanchez-Trillo | Getty Images

Pro-secessionist supporters react to election results for the Catalan National Assembly on December 21, 2017, in Barcelona, Spain.

The outcome of regional elections in Catalonia Thursday have further complicated a Spanish political crisis, according to analysts, with one predicting that there is a high risk of a new vote taking place next year.

Given the fragmentation of the result, the ongoing political process will be “far from straightforward,” said Antonio Barroso, managing director of consultancy Teneo Intelligence, in a note entitled “Back to square one” on Friday.

With nearly all the votes counted, separatist parties were seen getting 70 seats in the 135-seat assembly, Reuters reported, citing official data. Puigdemont’s Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) was seen winning 34 of those seats, ahead of two other separatist parties.